


Savior with Fins

by Ladibard_Wordsmith28



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cedric Diggory Lives, Confessions, F/M, Gentle Kissing, Kissing, Magical Creatures, Saving Hermione Granger, Suicide Attempt, The Great Lake | The Black Lake (Harry Potter), merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25830319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladibard_Wordsmith28/pseuds/Ladibard_Wordsmith28
Summary: Unable to cope with Ron Weasley's untimely death, returning 8th year, Hermione Granger trying to drown herself in the Great Lake. But a cocky merman saves her life and She is surprised to see he is none other than Cedric Diggory. (au) (one shot)
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Hermione Granger, Cho Chang/Cedric Diggory, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Savior with Fins

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The regular disclaimer still stays in place, I owe nothing but the AU and OC. The rest belongs to JKR. My mind lives in the Harry Potter fanfiction world though my body is still thankfully anchored in the monotonous reality of existence. My themes, plotline, and storyline may, therefore, get indirectly influenced by many of the brilliant fanfiction writers on this site. And I humbly bow to such creative genius who give me much needed literary pleasures to see through the toils of mundane life. Lastly, I would like to thank KCAWS admins to tempt me into thinking out of the box. Reviews would encourage this introvert writer to peep out of her literary closet. My first Cedric/Hermione. Prompt word: Mermaid. (au)

**Saviour with Fins**

Strong hands hauled her up. She was pressed against something slimy yet cold yet warm. Her befuddled mind kept refusing to the constant voice trying to get a reaction out of her.

“Granger, don't give up.”

Someone pried her lips open and the next thing she knew, someone was breathing air in her mouth. This was not really a kiss. She reasoned even while fighting against this force and struggling to stay on her path. She could not continue, she wanted to die. And the Great Lake happened to be her best choice. 

"Damn it, Breath!”

“Let me die in peace.”

“Sorry, love, I can’t, now breath Granger, or I am feeding you with Giant Squid’s poop!”

When she had sputtered at that, that voice laughed heartily in her head. She stubbornly kept her eyes closed, feeling the water around her lap against her skin. Someone had his finned hand, no a slight correction in there, both finned and webbed hand, clasped over her mouth. She felt around and that voice chuckled again,” Aw! So you aren’t really a prude?”

She blushed and pushed at the body helping her stay afloat. Together they broke the surface of the icy water and the autumn air hit her face. The figure behind her whispered once again, his arms holding her snug against his scaled body. Scales! 

"I got you, stop squirming like a bloody eel!" 

“This is what I wanted, finally I am dead.” she thought.

“Sorry, Love, I regret to burst that bubble of yours. But you are pretty much alive. Why would you of all the people want to die in such a pathetic way?” He spoke again. 

She tried to turn her head, but he blocked her movement, with a stern command,” Don't move, you are freezing, not even my body heat can keep you warm enough. And it is not a cakewalk,” something flapped against her legs and he apologized immediately, “Sorry.”

She mumbled in a daze running her tongue over her lips, still finding it difficult to breathe freely. Panting hard, she heard him whisper over her ear. He spoke a language she had never heard before. Curious enough she asked,” What did you say?”

He chuckled and replied slyly,” Told your brain to wake up. I know it runs miles in a second.”

“Who are you? Why won’t you let me see your face?”

“And end up blasting my own ears, Hail Poseidon, I might not have them anymore, but I would like to keep listening to the Rumour Mill of Hogwarts.” 

Hermione muttered,” You are a Merman.”

“Oh, yes Love, your Savior with Fins.”

“Why did you save me?”

“Because I am a loyal and noble person.”

“Merfolks are supposed to be vindictive.”

“Yeah, we both happened to meet the most vicious ones, during the Triwizard tournament.” He grumbled.

A little apprehensive, she whispered,” Who are you?”

He could sense her fear. Holding her a little firmly, he maneuvered themselves to a pier, she had never seen before. While he laid her on her back, he remained half-submerged underwater. 

She turned her head and saw his face for the first time. It must be the water or the fact that every single fiber of her body was numb that Hermione started giggling and then broke out laughing right at his awestruck face. 

She managed to get the words out in between,” Liar, I am surely dead. You are long dead as well, Cedric Diggory.” 

He leaned forward and propped his face on his webbed hands and smiled,” I beg to differ. Go ahead touch me, see for yourself.”

Tentatively she had stretched her hand and he took it midway and placed it over his bare, scaled torso. Yes, Indeed there was a vibration coming from the depths of his lean frame. A steady thud akin to the sound of a beating heart. 

She looked at him with wide eyes and whispered,” But you were dead. Voldemort killed you.”

He smirked,” Oh yeah, that snake face was too full of himself, he never thought of double checking things. Shift a bit,” once she sat up and crossed her legs, he hoisted himself on the pier and whistled merrily. His tail fin flapped over the surface of the water now and then.

“So, how did you survive?”

“My mother saved me, she is partly a witch and partly a mermaid, though she never told dad about it.”

“How on earth is that possible?”

“There are many magical creatures in this world who are glad to have not been found by wizards and witches,” the boy who still looked like his seventeen-year-old self replied sagely.

“Why did you save me?”

He countered her with a question,” Do you want to hear the long answer or the short one?”

She hastily replied,” Both.”

“AH Huh, always a know-it-all.”

“Please, I need to know, why did you save me?”

He cocked his head and studied her wet face and dipping hair and murmured, “Why do you wish to know, Granger?”

She bit her lips and whispered,” Because I think, this is not the first time, you wanted to save me.”

Huffing softly, he looked back at the dark surface of the water and confessed,” No, even that day, I wanted to save you, more than I wanted to save her. I didn’t know what it was back then, that made me feel protective about you. I always kept an eye on you. Watched you toil in the library, watched you trying hard to make friends. But then it grew into something that I could no longer manage to define. It’s really not a Hufflepuff trait to be loyal to two people at the same time.”

“Harry said, you blocked the curse in the graveyard and died saving him,” she sniffed.

He was looking at her once again. His calculated hazel blue eyes glowed in the dark. Shifting slightly he leaned over and spoke millimeters away from her face,” Harry Potter could manage to keep you alive, but I could never do that.” Grabbing her face with his webbed hands, he kissed her. When her hands trailed over his scaled chest, he chuckled over her swollen lips and deepened the kiss. She heard his voice, saw him enjoying himself in the merman coven underwater, smiling along with the school of magical fishes and playing with the Giant Squid. 

Ending the kiss, with a sigh, he rubbed his hand over her cheek affectionately, and confessed,” That was one thing, I always wanted to do before I died. You looked so beautiful that night at the Yule Ball.”

“Why do I feel dizzy?” She swayed a bit and managed to slur.

“Merman’s magic. Granger, don’t dare to end this beautiful life you have. Please. You are meant to do great things. And Ronald Weasley’s untimely death must not stop you from achieving the best in life. You are a powerful witch, I don't think, my magic can erase this surreal encounter from your mind. Neither do I want you to forget it,” Helping her lay back on the pier, he tucked something inside her palm and kissed her softly once again. His eyes danced over her face when she muttered half asleep,” Is this goodbye, my savior with fins?”

“Yes, it is.”

* * *

  
  


Hagrid had found her unconscious on the pier, wrapped up in an old Hufflepuff robe. Once she was discharged from the hospital, the Headmistress Minerva McGonagall had called her at her Gargoyle guarded office. Surprisingly, the old witch had offered her tea and biscuits and had wasted half an hour talking about the things she had missed in the last five days.

Finally when she couldn’t continue talking about trials and funerals and the trivia, the former Gryffindor head, sighed,” Hermione, do you remember anything?”

The Brightest Witch stared back at her mentor and lied,” No professor, I can’t remember anything.”

“Hermione, dear, I know Ron’s death was hard to imagine and too painful. But you are a strong witch, I don't want to see you wasting yourself away.”

“I promise you, Headmistress, I won't try to do anything like that again.”

Inhaling deeply, McGonagall stared at her teacup and looked back at the young witch,” There is another mystery, we are no close to solving,” when she was sure the Granger was listening attentively, she continued,” Hagrid found you wrapped in an old Hufflepuff cloak,” bringing out a small box from her tartan robes, she flicked it open and showed it to the eighth year student,” And Madam Pomphrey found this inside your fist.”

Hermione had remained stubbornly quite to every other question the headmistress had asked her. But before leaving the office she succeeded in keeping the small box with her.

The shrewd headmistress had tried again,” Why do you want it so badly, Hermione?”

She had smiled innocently and replied,” Because Savior wanted me to have it," holding the Hufflepuff badge in her fist, after transferring the box within her robe pockets.


End file.
